Note to Parents Concerning Attendance

Dear Parents,

As your child’s teacher, I am dedicated to their success in my class and will do my best to provide them with every tool I have to contribute to their success.  Instructional time in my classroom is irreplaceable as make up work can never equal the lesson presentation a student misses when absent.

While I realize that you cannot always control or prevent illness or emergencies that require an absence, I am asking that you please try to prevent any avoidable absences.  When students miss class time, they are at an immediate disadvantage.  Math is sequential, any gaps in knowledge acquired when absent will hurt them in immediate work and likely in future work as well.  Absences can yield frustrating consequences.  What we do in class EVERY DAY is very important and sometimes students aren't able to catch up on their own.  Please work with me in making sure that your child is present in my classroom every day possible.  When an absence is unavoidable, as I know some absences are, use Google Classroom to find out what your student missed and make sure that they immediately catch up on their work.   

I truly believe that teenage years are a crucial time in teaching our young people dependability and work ethic, teaching them to "go to work" even when they have a headache, or didn't get enough sleep, or are having a hard time in their personal life.  Our students need to learn "grit" - to push through difficult days and still meet their responsibilities. This will be an invaluable quality for them in their adult life.  Learning this work ethic now will set them ahead of the curve as young adults, making them more valuable in the work place.  Of course I am absolutely not suggesting that students come to school when they are legitimately sick and certainly not when they are contagious to their peers, I am simply addressing avoidable absences - when going to school is perhaps an inconvenience or a little bit of a struggle due to minor frustrations.  

Please remember that state regulations on attendance require that a student should have no more than ten absences be it excused or unexcused.  If we can work together to have students in class and accountable for their learning and success, their grades will increase, their test scores will increase, and they will become better prepared to be successful in their future field of study or workplace.  Thank you so much for your support in this extremely important matter.

Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                                   

Candace Hollingsworth                                 

South Beauregard High School 

Email:  chollingsworth@beau.k12.la.us